Erosion test rigs are provided for propelling dust and/or particles at high velocity and providing variable temperature ranges, as well as methods of using and fabricating the same. The erosion test rig can propel dust and/or particles at a velocity of up to 400 meters per second (m/s) and generate wide temperature ranges (e.g., from −196° C. to 200° C.) to simulate the harsh erosive conditions of planetary environments (e.g., Mars and Luna).
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A test rig for performing erosion testing on a sample, the test rig comprising: a main chamber; a propelling means disposed in the main chamber and configured to propel particles at a velocity of at least 300 meters per second (m/s); a sample holder disposed at a first end of the main chamber and configured to hold the sample in a path of the particles propelled by the propelling means; and a temperature regulation chamber disposed adjacent to the first end of the main chamber and configured to change a temperature of the sample, the temperature regulation chamber being configured to cool the sample to a first temperature no greater than −196° C. and to heat the sample to a second temperature of at least 150° C., the temperature regulation chamber comprising a container comprising liquid nitrogen and disposed adjacent to the sample holder, the container being configured to cool the sample to the first temperature, and the temperature regulation chamber further comprising a heating pad disposed on the sample holder, the heating pad being configured to heat the sample to the second temperature.
2. The test rig according to claim 1, the propelling means being a cold spray system comprising a convergent-divergent nozzle.
3. The test rig according to claim 2, the cold spray system comprising compressed air.
4. The test rig according to claim 2, the test rig being configured to preheat the convergent-divergent nozzle of the cold spray system.
5. The test rig according to claim 1, further comprising a camera disposed outside the main chamber and configured to record images of the particles, the sample, or both.
6. The test rig according to claim 5, the main chamber comprising a first viewport made of a transparent material, the camera being disposed adjacent to the first viewport.
7. The test rig according to claim 5, the camera being a high speed camera configured to capture a minimum of 1,000,000 frames per second.
8. The test rig according to claim 1, further comprising a vacuum system connected to a second end of the main chamber different from the first end of the main chamber, the vacuum system being configured to remove a buildup of the particles from the main chamber.
9. The test rig according to claim 1, the sample holder comprising a slab made of a rigid material, and the slab being disposed between the main chamber and the temperature regulation chamber.
10. The test rig according to claim 9, the rigid material being a metal.
11. The test rig according to claim 10, the metal being copper.
12. The test rig according to claim 1, the container being made of aluminum.
13. The test rig according to claim 1, the heating pad being attached to the sample holder by a thermal adhesive.
14. The test rig according to claim 1, further comprising a thermocouple and a data logger assembly attached to a side of the main chamber, an input of the thermocouple being connected to the sample holder such that the thermocouple and the data logger assembly are configured to monitor the temperature of the sample.
15. A method for performing erosion testing on a sample, the method comprising: disposing the sample in a sample holder of a test rig, the test rig comprising: a propelling means configured to propel particles at a velocity of at least 300 meters per second (m/s); the sample holder configured to hold the sample in a path of the particles propelled by the propelling means; a camera configured to record images of the particles; and a temperature regulation chamber disposed adjacent to the first end of the main chamber and configured to cool the sample to a first temperature no greater than −196° C. and to heat the sample to a second temperature of at least 150° C.; propelling the particles at the sample at a velocity of at least 200 m/s using the propelling means; changing a temperature of the sample, using the temperature regulation chamber, by cooling the sample to the first temperature, heating the sample to the second temperature, or both; and capturing images, using the camera, of the particles, the sample, or both, the propelling means being a cold spray system comprising a convergent-divergent nozzle, the cold spray system comprising compressed air, the camera being a high speed camera configured to capture a minimum of 1,000,000 frames per second, the temperature regulation chamber comprising a container comprising liquid nitrogen and disposed adjacent to the sample holder, the container being configured to cool the sample to the first temperature, and the temperature regulation chamber further comprising a heating pad disposed on the sample holder, the heating pad being configured to heat the sample to the second temperature.
16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising preheating the convergent-divergent nozzle of the cold spray system before propelling the particles at the sample.
17. The method according to claim 15, the test rig further comprising a thermocouple and a data logger assembly, an input of the thermocouple being connected to the sample holder, and the method further comprising monitoring the temperature of the sample using the thermocouple and the data logger assembly.
18. A test rig for performing erosion testing on a sample, the test rig comprising: a main chamber comprising a first viewport made of a transparent material; a cold spray system disposed in the main chamber and configured to propel particles at a velocity of at least 300 meters per second (m/s); a sample holder disposed at a first end of the main chamber and configured to hold the sample in a path of the particles propelled by the cold spray system; a temperature regulation chamber disposed adjacent to the first end of the main chamber and configured to change a temperature of the sample; a high speed camera disposed outside the main chamber adjacent to the first viewport and configured to record images of the particles, the sample, or both; a vacuum system connected to a second end of the main chamber different from the first end of the main chamber; and a thermocouple and a data logger assembly attached to a side of the main chamber, the temperature regulation chamber being configured to cool the sample to a first temperature no greater than −196° C. and to heat the sample to a second temperature of at least 150° C., the cold spray system comprising a convergent-divergent nozzle and compressed air, the test rig being configured to preheat the convergent-divergent nozzle of the cold spray system, the high speed camera being configured to capture a minimum of 1,000,000 frames per second, the vacuum system being configured to remove a buildup of the particles from the main chamber, the sample holder comprising a slab made of a rigid metal, the slab being disposed between the main chamber and the temperature regulation chamber, the temperature regulation chamber comprising a container comprising liquid nitrogen and disposed adjacent to the sample holder, the container being configured to cool the sample to the first temperature, the temperature regulation chamber further comprising a heating pad disposed on the sample holder, the heating pad being configured to heat the sample to the second temperature, the heating pad being attached to the sample holder by a thermal adhesive, and an input of the thermocouple being connected to the sample holder such that the thermocouple and the data logger assembly are configured to monitor the temperature of the sample.
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June 19, 2024
February 25, 2025
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